Some pronounce it as punch-key. Others pronounce it poonch-kee. But no matter how you say it, Paczki Day is widely celebrated here in Michigan and it's on its way.

History of Paczki

Paczki Day, or Fat Tuesday, has strong ties here in Michigan and is part of the reason why the deep-fried confections are so popular in the Mitten State.

Michigan, especially in the Detroit and Hamtramck area, has a large population of Polish Catholic immigrants who brought their traditions across the ocean with them. Fat Tuesday is celebrated by Catholics as a sort of last hurrah before they begin the 40-day fasting period known as Lent. On Fat Tuesday, they can indulge in food as much as they want before Lenten fasting begins. And eating some paczki is a way to indulge. Plus, there are plenty of Paczki flavors to choose from when it comes to your personal preference.

Different Paczki Flavors

Honestly, there's a paczki for everyone. Every paczki starts the same: with some light and deliciously deep-fried dough. But it's where you go from there that makes each paczki different.

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Paczki can come glazed or covered in powdered sugar. I've even seen some options with cinnamon-sugar coating. And the filling...oh my goodness are there plenty of fillings to choose from.

The traditional filling is prune, but there are all kinds to choose from. There are fruit fillings like lemon, blueberry, and raspberry. There are chocolate and vanilla creme and custards. You can even find some more interesting flavor combinations like the Banana Cream Pie Paczki that Lansing's Strange Matter is baking up this year. It has a banana cream pie filling and a chocolate glaze on top.

Best Paczki in the Lansing Area

If you want to celebrate Fat Tuesday this year, we have some options on how you can do it in the most delicious way possible. We did the leg work and found some places throughout the Lansing area that are serving up some delicious paczki for Fat Tuesday.

Some places, like Groovy Donuts and Strange Matter Coffee Co, are doing pre-orders for paczki. But in other places, like Quality Dairy, you can just walk in and grab a box full.

Take a look at the list below and see where you might be stopping on Paczki Day. If your favorite place didn't make the list, we wanna hear about it. Send us a message with the free station app.

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Fat Tuesday, also known as Paczki Day, is right around the corner. There are plenty of places across the Lansing area that serve up some delicious sweet treats. But who in Lansing has the best paczki? We have the answers. Check out the gallery below to see who has the best paczki in Lansing.

Gallery Credit: Kristen Matthews

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